Circles
by Explosion-Of-Colour
Summary: SJ Sometimes life just keeps going round in circles... until something breaks the pattern...
1. The Dance We Do

Circles  
  
Chapter One - The Dance We Do  
  
The doorbell sounded a good ten minutes before it was supposed to. And on the one day Major Samantha Carter was actually running late. 'That's what falling asleep at your laptop will do to you, Sam.' Janet would've said.  
  
"Hey, sir. Come in." She greeted her CO with a smile, pulling one hand through her still damp hair.  
  
"I know I'm early - got bored at home. Six days stuck in the house is not my idea of fun." Colonel O'Niell explained, stepping into the house after her. He was dressed causally in combat pants and a dark t-shirt, looking his usual self - if not a bit more relaxed than usual.  
  
"No Simpsons for you to watch, sir?" Sam asked, only half-kidding.  
  
He smirked at her, "So what'd you do?"  
  
"I spent a couple of days with Mark and the kids. It was nice to catch up."  
  
"Well, you missed some quality pool hustling. Danny's gettin' good, got the nerdy thing down to a tee." Jack grinned smugly.  
  
"Yeah, I can imagine." She laughed, then grabbed the towel from the back of the chair where she'd discarded it earlier. "Take a seat. I've got to get my stuff together then I'll be ready, I wasn't expecting you this early."  
  
"Better than being late though, right?"  
  
"Just for a change, sir?" Sam replied cheekily before she could stop herself.  
  
"Hey, I'm not that bad! I'm only late when I can afford to be." Jack told her in no uncertain terms, sitting down on her sofa and helping himself to the magazine left on the coffee table.  
  
" Like briefings?" She replied, turning from the mirror in time to see the magazine he was flipping through.  
  
The Colonel grinned at the truth in that comment but never took his eyes off the oh-so-interesting images he'd found. "You don't happen to have underwear like this, do you Carter?" He asked her, keeping his face as innocent as possible. He turned to her just as she leaned over the back of the couch to pluck the magazine from his hands, inadvertantly giving him a quick glance down her top. Again he went over all the reasons he shouldn't be thinking about his 2IC in that way - just to remind himself.  
  
"I don't buy it for the clothes *sir*. I like to keep up with films and books, and they publish good reviews."  
  
"Sure you do, Carter."  
  
She smiled and rolled her eyes in response. It was a cycle they went through, starting immeadiatly after the whole Anise and Zar'tac testing fiasco. They would have a couple of weeks where the flirting was subtle and relaxed, but definitly flirting by anyones standards, then the progression would take them too close to the uncrossable line and send them to distances as far as possible from one another. After some uncomfortable days, sometimes weeks, they would gradually ease back into the chatty one- liners and witty come-backs, and inevitably the flirting began again. And so it went on, both aware of it but neither discussing it with the other or having any idea how to break it. Sam wasn't even sure she would want to break the cycle, the little dance they took part in, as it would mean one of two things; commencing a relationship with Colonel O'Niell, or severing all ties with him. All or nothing.  
  
No, this dance was a better option.  
  
"I'll be five minutes, I just have to get some files on disc." Sam called, already half-way up the stairs.  
  
She found her watch, collected together the floopy discs she needed on base, and was shutting the bedroom door when the strong aroma of coffee surrounded her. 'God, what's he up to now?' She thought as she descended the stairs.  
  
"It's about time! Was beginning to think you'd gotten lost up there. Coffee?" Jack handed her a mug and smirked at her bewildered expression.  
  
"Colonel, since when do you know your way round my kitchen?"  
  
"Well I wouldn't say know my way round, just... opened all the cupboards and found the coffee jar. You've gotta take all the chances to drink decent coffee you can you know, the base only serves that black sludge stuff they call cappacinos." He shuddered dramatically and pulled a face, making her laugh again.  
  
"I usually stick to Daniel's, he seems to have it on tap." She told him, noticing the mug he'd given her read 'total babe', a Christmas present from Cassie a year ago.  
  
"I hope you don't mind me saying so, sir," Sam began, seeing him meet her eyes, she smiled. "But you seem very happy this morning."  
  
"Really?" Colonel O'Niell replied, setting his empty mug down on the counter. "Must be your influence, Major."  
  
Sam's head snapped up at that, eyes wide, wondering if she'd heard right. He was already moving past her towards the front door, but she caught a decidedly smug smile appear at her reaction. She smiled herself and placed her mug beside his on the counter before grabbing her keys, coat and bag from the table in the hallway.  
  
"Get a move on Carter, we're going to be late!"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
******  
  
Okay, so this was probably a little closer to the regulation line than CO and 2IC were meant to get, but, Jack convinced himself, she only needed a ride to work for a couple of days. Who would blame him for helping out one of his team when their car was in the shop? After all, if she couldn't get to the SGC all week then how was SG-1 supposed to operate properly?  
  
There are such things as taxis, a little voice at the back of his mind taunted him. And Daniel's not going to be around for a while after that broken arm. Sam could've easily -  
  
"- did the General tell you, sir?" The woman in question was talking to him while he drove, now smiling at him, apparently amused by the fact he'd zoned her out and hadn't heard a word he'd said.  
  
"Sorry what, Carter?"  
  
"I asked if the General had spoken to you about a temporary replacement for Daniel while he's out of action?" Still smiling, she turned to the front to pick through his glovebox, blond strands of hair falling onto her face as she moved.  
  
"Not that I know of. Why do you know of a newbie to our little group?" He replied, glancing at her rumaging hands but not saying anything.  
  
"No, but if the mission today is to go ahead I assume there'll be one."  
  
"Let's hope it's not a scientist shall we? Another one might just send me over the edge." He told her with his usual flippancy.  
  
Carter shot him a joking look of annoyance, before pulling out a cassette and pinning him a with a dazzling smile.  
  
"Eric Clapton, sir?"  
  
"What?" Jack tried his best to look innocent, whilest endevouring to avoid admiring how attractive she was when her eyes lit up with mischief.  
  
"The way you look tonight?" She pressed, immensally enjoying the embarrassment she was causing him.  
  
"So I'm a closet romantic! I thought you women loved romance in a guy!"  
  
"'You women', sir?"  
  
"Yes, Carter. Are you telling me you don't come into that category?"  
  
The idle banter continued until they reached the SGC, and after a few curious looks from the airman at the perimeter regarding their arriving together, they finally got to the briefing room - only ten minutes late.  
  
"Glad you could join us, Colonel, Major."  
  
******  
  
Definitly not the best start to the day, Carter had decided, sparing a quick glance at the Colonel, who - as usual - hadn't seemed the least bit ruffled by the questioning stares they were getting since they arrived at the base. As if sensing her gaze, he looked up from his doodling to catch her eyes, flashing her a quick grin before going back to his doodling again. Sam couldn't help smiling - he really did have the attention span of a five year old.  
  
"So General, do we get a new kid to play with or not?" He said eventually, tactful as ever.  
  
"If, Colonel, you are asking about an additional member of your team while Dr Jackson is recuperating, I have assigned Colonel Karrington to SG-1. He will be arriving shortly from the Pentagon. While we wait I need to make a few phone calls."  
  
"No problem, sir. We'll just... hang." Jack threw him his patented confused- at-his-own-words look, then grinned. Once General Hammond left the room, he turned to Carter and Teal'c. "Well kids, it looks like we're going to have a replacement for Daniel for a while. Colonel something-or-other -"  
  
"Colonel Karrington, I believe." Teal'c corrected, accurate as always.  
  
"Colonel Max Karrington, sir. He worked at the pentagon when I worked there, although I never met him." Carter informed him.  
  
"Max? That's a dog's name! In fact I had an alsation named Max when I was a kid!" He told them with exaggerated bewilderment.  
  
"Is that so, Colonel? Well blame my parents." A new voice entered the room, unnoticed until he spoke. The man was tall with dark hair and piercing greeny hazel eyes, his build similar to the Colonel O'Niell's. He was dressed in the USAF formal atire, looking slightly out of place compared to SG-1's green fatigues.  
  
"Ahh..."  
  
"Colonel Karrington, it's nice to meet you." Carter stepped in, saluting sharply and giving her best winning-over smile. One of her roles as Colonel O'Niell's second in command seemed to be fixing diplomatic matters when he (not always unintentionally) put his foot in it.  
  
"Major Carter I presume?" Karrington smiled at her, his eyes taking in her appearance approvingly, something O'Niell was quick to catch.  
  
"This is Teal'c, and Colonel o'Niell." She gestured to each of the men. Teal'c bowed his head slightly and O'Niell gave a half-hearted wave in greeting, already taking a dislike to him. Karrington acknowledged them both and then he set his gaze back to Carter, Jack noted with distaste. 'Don't even think it *Max*'  
  
"Your reputation precedes you, sir." Carter was saying, blatently unaware of his letcherous looks. "I read a lot of your work when I was based at the Pentagon."  
  
"Hey!" O'Niell interjected, seeing an opening to tactfully draw this guy's attention away from his 2IC. "What about me? Don't tell me you'd never heard of me before you came to the SGC, Carter?"  
  
She laughed, turned to him with an insuborinate cheeky smile lighting her face. "Don't worry Colonel, I'd heard a lot about you."  
  
Her response provoked a proud grin from Jack. "Sweet."  
  
The exchange did not go unnoticed by Karrington, making him wonder if some of the things he'd heard about the two of them were true - were they more than just collegues? 


	2. Moment In Time

Thank you so much for the reviews – this is my first attempt at a stargate story!

Circles

Chapter 2 - Moment In Time

The briefing went on and within half an hour SG-1 was dismissed.

"There is a formal event at a local hotel tonight, Colonel, an SGC member is retiring." The General informed Karrington before the team left. "You are welcome to come, it may be a good chance to meet more members of the SGC."

"Thank you, sir. I'll be there." He answered, casting a sideways look at Sam before he left behind Teal'c.

"Oh Jack," Hammond called quickly as he turned to leave. "Don't even think about dragging the mission out to miss Colonel Webster's party tonight."

Carter nearly laughed aloud at that, which caught only Jack's attention as he feigned a hurt expression before he replied; "The thought hadn't even crossed my mind, sir."

The General smiled knowingly and went back to his office, leaving Jack alone with Sam, who was still grinning in amusement at Hammond's accurate accusation.

"Busted, sir."

"Don't make me hurt you, Major."

As it turned out there was nothing on the planet of interest or scientific value, not even enough for O'Neill's antics to stretch the mission out just long enough to miss the tedious formal 'party'.

"What was the reason we came to this planet in the first place, Carter?" His boredom evident, as they walked through yet another forest.

Sam smiled patiently and explained; "There was signs of life from the readings the MALP sent through, sir."

"That's funny, 'cause I could've sworn we've just seen trees, trees and more trees…"

"I thought you liked there to be trees on planets, sir."

"This would be classed as overkill, Carter."

The team returned from the mission two hours ahead of schedule, much to Jack's chagrin. Colonel Karrington was getting on his nerves as well, adding to his bad mood. It turned out he and Carter had a lot of past projects they could discuss from when she worked in the Pentagon, so Jack had spent the remainder of the mission walking behind the two, silently alongside Teal'c, whilst scowling at his new teammate's back. Seeing her laughing and joking with Karrington had him in a less than cheerful mood.

"Sir?" A knock at the door drew his attention to the Major standing in the doorway.

"Yeah Carter, come in." 

"I just wanted to check that you still don't mind taking me to the hotel tonight."

"About 1900?" 

She nodded in reply. "Thanks, sir. I'll see you tonight."

"I hear there's going to be exciting people to discuss your doohickeys with tonight." Jack ventured before she left.

"Maybe." She smiled. "Janet and I are going to drop in on Daniel on the way home now, you want to pass any message on?"

"Danny's not coming tonight?"

"His leg is still in plaster, sir."

"He's got crutches!" He exclaimed with juvenile envy that his friend got to skip the awful shindig.

He was rewarded with a dazzling smile for his efforts. "Bye, sir." Sam laughed as she left him alone.

Formal but non-military to attire was the dress code for the evening, Jack groused for the millionth time. Wearing his dress uniform felt so much more comfortable than the black suit he was wearing at the moment.

"You bored, T?" he asked his friend as they sat together at the bar, Teal'c with a Coke and Jack drinking beer. Teal'c had actually gotten hold of a navy blue suit and wore it with his customary bowler hat to cover his emblem. 

"There is little to do here, O'Neill." Teal'c answered smoothly.

"Tell me about it."

The music wasn't to his taste and his eyes kept sliding to where Sam was standing with a group of scientists from the SGC. He tried not to admire the way the blue satin she wore clung to her in all the right places.

"You want another drink, T?" He asked, at the same time as he spotted Karrington headed for his 2IC.

"I will order them, while you check on Major Carter." Teal'c replied, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Jack didn't reply, but shot his friend an evil look, then sauntered casually over to the group.

"…it was a nightmare, they brought all this red powder back through the gate."

As they all laughed at Captain Glace's story, Jack assumed he'd missed something.

"Hey sir, you enjoying the party?" Sam asked softly, positioning herself beside him while the rest of the scientists continued to talk in their rather large circle.

"Oh yeah Carter, it's a blast." Came the sarcastic reply.

"It'll be winding down soon, sir. Then you can make your escape." She smiled knowingly at him.

"It's that or I'm going to get Teal'c to zat me." Jack replied, his eyes on Karrington, who kept looking at Sam whilst talking to Major Johnson.

They were silent for a few minutes, each taking in the conversations around them.

"You look good tonight, sir," Sam said, and immediately her blue eyes widened as she realised she'd spoken aloud. He glanced again at her sky blue satin dress, showing just enough thigh and not enough cleavage. Jack smiled mischievously, quickly weighing whether to go for a sensible reply or take advantage of her embarrassment.

"If I told you how good you look tonight, I'd probably be court marshalled." He spoke quietly, nearly in her ear. 'This has got to be the beer talking,' he thought, but the shocked look that accompanied her shy smile and blushing face was worth it.

"You want something to drink?" Jack asked in an attempt to move back to safer ground. 

"Yeah, I was going to go see Teal'c over there. He looks a little… bored." She replied.

"Well if they gave out some water guns he'd be happy as larry." He grinned at her then deadpanned; "I tried to persuade him to dance with me…"

Sam laughed at the thought of it. "Oh, I left my bag…" Sam turned and made her way back to the group of scientists. Karrington watched her all the way, and then picked up her bag to hand it to her. Jack saw her smile gratefully, then as she began to move away, Karrington grasped her arm, obviously suggesting something. Jack could've sworn she looked nervous as she shook her head in the negative. He then leaned down to speak into her ear so no one around them would hear, still holding her forearm. Sam shook her head again, pulling her arm free and made her way back to Jack, an irritated expression on her pretty face.

"You okay? What did Karrington want?" Jack asked with concern.

"Oh… nothing. Misunderstanding." Sam replied, not meeting his eyes.

Jack sensed something was up with the new Colonel on the team, but he thought it could just be his … protectiveness towards his fellow teammates.

"Your beer, O'Neill." Teal'c greeted him as they both sat down. Sam ordered a white wine from the bar then joined them.

The party went on for another hour before people started to leave, Teal'c being one of the first as he was travelling back to the base.

"So Major, how's the motorbike coming?" Jack asked, taking a swig of beer.

"I need a new part that the garage didn't have in stock. It could be anytime this week, but my car's going to be longer than that." She looked sheepish, then added; "Thank you for the ride this morning, sir. It would have been a nightmare trying to get a cab at that time of the morning."

"No problem, Carter." He smiled genuinely at her, his eyes looking a little glazed.

"Have you spoken to Daniel, sir?" 

"Yeah, actually I rang him before to tell him he's missing out not coming tonight." 

"Did he believe you?" she grinned.

"Nope. He actually laughed at me. I'm telling you he's the most insubordinate civilian I've ever come across."

Sam laughed at that. "I think it's your charm, sir."

"Don't you start, Major." He replied warily, but with a smile.

"I think I'll call a cab and get going now." She told him, finishing her drink and standing up.

"No, let me take you, Sam." Jack ventured, slurring his words slightly.

"Sir, you should take a cab too. You've had a lot to drink tonight." She replied, trying to ignore how nice it was to hear him call her by her first name. 

"That's what I meant." He grinned boyishly at her, getting his cell phone out and dialling. They collected their jackets and said their goodbyes, then went outside to wait.

Their breaths produced white clouds in the cold January night, and Jack hoped the cab would hurry up.

"Do you work on your truck when it breaks down, sir?" Sam asked, suddenly reverting back to their previous conversation.

"Yeah," he replied. "Not always got the time though. I envy you having a motorcycle, I used to have one when I was eighteen." He told her with a grin, a faraway look in his eyes as he remembered.

"You should buy another one, sir. They always say once you learn you never forget." 

"Here." Jack handed her his gloves.

"Thank you." Sam responded, touched at his thoughtfulness. "My bike seems to be more reliable than my car at the moment."

"Well if you insist on keeping that old Volvo." He replied, grinning mischievously at her. "And riding that bike has its good points."

Sam looked at him questioningly, unsure of his meaning. "Like what?"

He pretended to look around to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in close to her. "You wear leather when you ride your bike, Sam."

Her face flushed bright pink for the second time that evening, and she found herself at a loss for words, staring into his eyes and vaguely registering that he'd called her 'Sam' again. He hadn't moved from leaning in close to her, and he found himself very reluctant to move back, his brown eyes flitting from her lips to her eyes and back again. Jack moved in slowly, and when she didn't pull away, Jack pressed his lips to hers gently. When he pulled away, he read something different in her sapphire eyes, desire that he hadn't seen before. Moving as one they embraced each other, the kiss passionate and endless this time.

After what seemed like hours, Jack suddenly came to his senses, pulling back abruptly.

"Oh god, Sam, I'm so sorry." 

She stared at him, a massive range of emotions crossing her face at once. Jack looked so remorseful it made her want to cry, having backed as far as he could away from her. They watched at each other, neither sure what to say, until they were torn from their trouble by a car horn as their cab finally arrived in the hotel car park.

Without a word, Jack opened the cab door for her. Sam gave him a small smile and said "It's okay," faintly, beckoning for him to share the cab with her anyway.

Colonel Max Karrington had stumbled upon the intimate scene a few minutes after he'd watched Sam leave the party. He had known they were more than just friends as soon as he'd seen them arrive together, O'Neill resting a protective hand on the small of her back to guide her through the crowds of people; her private smiles that she only smiled for _him_. Of course this was good leverage for him. Being assigned to SG-1 was supposed to be temporary, but he was determined to make it permanent, so it would have to be either Major Carter or Colonel O'Neill who would have to leave. That should be easy enough now he had seen what he' just witnessed. 


	3. You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like That

Before I forget, all the chapter titles are titles of songs (most of them used for a sam/jack music video)

Circles

Chapter 3 – You shouldn't kiss me like that

Against his better judgement, Jack found himself on Carter's doorstep a half hour later, having walked her to her door. They stood in silence for a few moments, neither knowing what to say

"Carter- "

"Sir- "

"You go." Jack conceded politely, half-sitting on the porch railing that stretched the space at the front of her house.

Sam looked nervous, looking as though she couldn't decide what to say, then she met his eyes and spoke quietly; "Will you come in, stay a while? I think we should deal with this, sir."

"I don't know, Carter, I've had a few too many drinks tonight. It might not be such a good idea."

"Sir, if we don't talk about this tonight I don't think we ever will." She reasoned, her eyes pleading with him to change his mind. "Please?"

Jack stared at her for a few moments, finding it nearly impossible to say no to those lovely eyes. He reached out to stroke a strand of golden hair behind her ear, tracing her jaw line gently, then dropping his hand, his own eyes reflecting the turmoil of his feelings.

"I'm sorry, Sam, I just wouldn't trust myself alone with you tonight if I came in. I'll see you tomorrow morning." He turned to leave, approaching the still-waiting taxi, then turned back as if to say something.  She was still stood there watching him depart, silhouetted in the porch light behind her. Jack changed his mind and got in the taxi; if he didn't leave right now he probably wouldn't until the morning.

The next morning General Hammond even noticed the tension between his two flagship team officers. He knew better than to take the aside to question it though, having countless reasons to trust them based on previous events. Hammond just hoped it would resolve itself, like it usually did. After all, they were his best officers.

Sam had spent as much time as she could hidden away in her office that day, hoping not to bump into her CO for a while since the less than comfortable drive this morning. She'd been a little surprised when the Colonel had turned up even after what had transpired the previous evening. He'd even been his usual self – albeit a little grumpy due to a headache (definitely not a hangover he claimed). His humour had lifted her spirits slightly, having been rather nervous about facing him. Usually being the one to refuse to talk about their 'relationship', Sam found herself very edgy and needing to discuss what had happened with him, but at the same time trying to avoid him altogether. I am a walking contradiction, she told herself.

It was coming up to 2030 when Sam glanced at the small clock on the wall of her lab. Deciding she was too distracted to get anything productive done, she shut everything down and gathered some files she needed to take home with her. Just as she got to the door, a figure appeared, crashing straight into her.

"Somebody get the number of that bus…" Jack quipped; stooping to pick up a few of the folders she'd dropped.

"Sorry, sir." She replied, smiling genuinely for the first time that day. 

"I figured you'd still be here, Carter. I'm leaving now, you wanna come with?" 

"Oh… em..." Sam floundered for a believable excuse. "I'll be a while- "

"Carter- " Jack began, then thought better of it, continuing quieter; "Sam, I think maybe you were right about talking. We should talk about what happened, about everything."

Sam looked him in the eyes, the sincerity she saw there creating a sudden urge to kiss him. "Okay."

"I'm going to go check the training sequence for next week, I'll meet you topside in 10?" With her nod of assent he dashed off again.

She signed out at the guards' station, saying goodnight to the officers there, and went through to the car park, standing on the lush green grass. The evening was cold again, promising a frost a bitter chill in the air. Sam hugged herself as she shivered, thankful for her warm coat and scarf.

"Hurry up, Jack." She breathed softly; unaware she'd used his first name.

"Hey." A hand touched her shoulder; her heart sank as she recognized the voice.

"Sir." She greeted Karrington, his inappropriate suggestions from the night before still on her mind. 

"What are you doing out here all by yourself?" 

Something in the way he said it made her shiver. "Waiting for someone, sir."

"I can give you a ride, if you like, save you waiting in the cold." Karrington offered pleasantly.

"It's okay, sir." She replied, beginning to move away towards the hillside, hoping he'd get the message she didn't want company. Unfortunately he followed her, clearly not about to make this easy.

"I have a name, Sam." Karrington persisted.

"Sorry, sir. Did you have a good time at the part last night?" Sam asked politely, veering the conversation away from anything remotely personal. She sat down on the grass where it seemed somewhat sheltered from the icy wind.

"It was good to meet people." He sat down beside her, turning to look her in the eyes. "You looked lovely."

To Sam that sounded distinctly predatory, setting off alarm bells in her head, not liking where this conversation was headed. "I better get back to the car park- " 

"Let me take you, we could stop for a late dinner on the way." Karrington suggested, grasping her wrist as she moved past him.

"Sir, I don't think that would be appropriate- " She protested pulling her arm free and setting off again. 

Suddenly he grabbed her from behind and threw her violently to the ground, knocking the air from her lungs.

"You don't usually care what's appropriate and what's not Sam." 

"What are you- " Sam gasped, trying to catch her breath as her chest ache painfully. Before she knew what was happening he was upon her, tearing at her jacket and nearly strangling her by trying to tug her scarf off. She punched out and kicked at him, but he knew every move she knew, blocking her effectively. 

"Stop it! Get - " He smacked a hand over her mouth, bashing her head hard against the solid ground in the process.

"Shut up!" The bump nearly knocked her out, but sent her senses into panic mode, kicking and fighting valiantly against him. Her aim was off and the world seemed to have doubled itself, but she fought unconsciousness furiously. Adrenaline surged through her as Karrington finally got her coat off her, taking a few buttons of her shirt with it. The cold hit her through her short-sleeved top.

"So what is it? A superiors thing? You like to be the favourite so you go after your commanding officer? You're all the same!" 

Sam continued to struggle for all she was worth, a confused expression provoked by his words. 

He laughed at her. "I saw you, Sam. After the party, very cosy there with your CO. It's not even as though you try to hide it. I bet Hammond would love to know how far that little tryst went. One of many, I'm sure."

Karrington shifted his weight to her left leg, making her cry out silently through his hand. Sam quickly saw her chance, bringing up her right leg hard, and pushing at his chest with all her remaining strength. He lost his balance and fell backwards in pain, giving her enough time to drag herself up. She bolted for the car park, still seeing double. She got near to the guards' station and waited there, catching her breath, assured that being in sight of the officers would stop Karrington from trying anything else.

Jack finally cornered the technician he was looking for and was on his way to the elevators in no time. The second he stepped onto the surface he spotted Sam. What the hell was she doing in just a shirt out here – it was nearly cold enough to snow. As he signed out at the guards' station, one of the two guys in there looked up and said with concern; "She's been there for about five minutes now, sir." Sgt Mark Thompson had seen her dash into the car park, but he hadn't seen her when she left the mountain.

Jack nodded to him, then, walking towards her he noticed she was white as a sheet and pacing backwards and forwards in the space of about a meter, stumbling slightly every so often.

"Carter?" He called.

She looked up, relief showing on her face.

"Carter what are you doing out here without a coat? It's freezing!" Jack admonished her. She was worrying him now, a glazed over look in her eyes like-

He caught her swiftly before she hit the ground. "   


	4. Tainted Love

So sorry for the wait – I've been enthralled by the latest Season 7 eps :o)

Chapter 4 – Tainted Love

Jack was about to call Thompson in the guards' station to get help when she came round, groaning and clutching a hand to her head. 

"You okay?" Jack asked with concern.

"I …think so." Sam replied weakly. "Big headache."

"Come on, I'll get you to the infirmary." He helped her to her feet, but she shook her head at his suggestion.

"No, sir, can you take me home? I'm just tired and cold, that's all." Sam claimed with a shiver.

"You blacked out, Carter. You should go see Janet." 

"I just need some sleep, that's it. Honestly, sir."

He didn't believe her, but as he was taking her home he would be able to keep an eye on her. Jack shrugged off his jacket and placed it around her still-shivering shoulders, leading her to his truck.

"Sam, what's happened? Where's your coat?"

"Lost it." Jack got her into the passenger seat a split second before she set her head back on the headrest, with a mumbled "Sleepy…" She cried out, instantly awake, a hand going to the back of her head.

"You hit your head on something?" Jack asked, his suspicions confirmed that something had happened to her. He stood at the passenger side door, waiting for her answer and wondering what could have transpired in the twenty minutes they'd been apart to cause all this.

"Yeah." She replied simply. 

Jack looked at her for a second then leant across her to snap her seatbelt in place. 

"I can do it." Sam protested, stopping him. He was thankful she at least seemed more lucid, even if she wouldn't tell him what was going on.

Jack shut the door and got in the other side, glancing at her again before starting the engine.

"You sure you don't wanna go see the doc? 'Cause your life won't be worth living if you throw up in my truck."  He warned her, glad when she grinned back.

Silence ensued for most of the journey; Sam sleepily watched the passing scenery, wary of saying or doing anything until she could think through everything with a clear head.

"What happened?" Jack asked her again.

"I just hit my head, sir."

"And lost your coat?" He asked dubiously.

"Yeah."

'Okay,' Jack thought, 'this isn't good.' It was one thing for her to lie, but to lie to him, as part of SG-1, was very unusual, even for Sam. What the hell had happened in those twenty minutes?

Jack had invited himself into her house when he'd helped her out of his truck. Once inside, he sat her down on the sofa, noticing how pale she was and told her not to go to sleep. He was already regretting not taking her back into the base to see Janet.

"Just wait there a sec, I'll get you something to drink." He added on his way into the kitchen. She smiled through her headache, picturing a domesticated Jack O'Neill in an apron – she must've hit her head harder than she thought.

"Paracetamol, sir. Top drawer on the left." She called back, resting her throbbing head on the cushion by the chair arm and pulling her legs up on the sofa. Within seconds she fell into an exhausted sleep.

Sam vaguely remembered Jack waking her to make her take some tablets but nothing after that. When she woke it was still dark, and the clock read 02:25. She felt warm and comfortable, and was surprised how much better she felt. There was a blanket over her and a slight pressure on her right leg as she lay on her side. Twisting round slightly, her heart soared at the sight of Jack sitting with her, his head tilted back against the back of the sofa in sleep. He must've placed a blanket over her and then set her legs over his thighs, looking as though he'd kept watch over her until he fell asleep as well, a protective hand resting just above her knee. His tall frame didn't work with the sofa, making it impossible to get any real sleep in that position, Sam decided.

"Sir." She whispered, to no response.

"Sir!" She whispered a little louder.

"Sam?" Jack murmured, still half asleep. 

"Sorry, sir. You didn't look very comfortable." Sam explained, suddenly aware of how intimate this seemed. "I was going upstairs to bed."

"That an offer, Carter?" He teased, pulling himself upright.

"The guestroom is made up, sir." She replied, with a strained smile. She would never understand how he was able to make comments like that after everything they'd been through lately.

"Thanks."

Sam woke the next morning feeling much more refreshed, although it had taken her a while to get back to sleep knowing the Colonel was only in the next room. She glanced at the clock – 10:15! That made her four _hours_ late for work. Leaping out of bed, Sam grabbed her lilac dressing gown and practically flew down the stairs to the phone. 

"Hey, sleeping beauty." 

She jumped in surprise and whirled to face him. "Sir, we are both very late."

Jack smiled, seemingly enjoying her panic. "Relax Carter. I called hours ago to tell them you were sick."

"But sir, I'm not -"

"No arguments. You got the day off and good ol' George says even tomorrow if you're still not well." He was looking decidedly pleased with himself, whether it was because he now had the day off, or because she was staring at him incredulously, Sam couldn't make out.

"It wasn't necessary, sir." 

"You slept for over twelve hours, and you still haven't told me what happened, so that counts as being ill." Jack looked at her questioningly, waiting for an explanation.

"I was just careless, fell and hit my head."

He didn't say anything, waiting for her to add to her story.

"It was nothing!" Sam insisted, turning her back to him to go and sit on the sofa.

"Carter, you saying it's nothing means it has got to be something." 

She looked at him with a half smile. "Did that make sense to you, sir?"

"Don't mock me, Major." Jack replied, smiling in spite of himself, sitting himself on the chair opposite her. "And don't change the subject."

"I need coffee." Sam stated, getting up again to head to the kitchen.

Jack rolled his eyes; she and Daniel were getting far too much alike. He watched her pad around the kitchen, still clad in a silky lilac dressing gown, making coffee and slipping two slices of bread in the toaster.

"Do you want any breakfast, sir?" She asked him as he appeared in the open doorway. 

 "I kinda' raided your cereal cupboard a few hours ago." He replied with a grin. "Fruit loops, Carter? I didn't think you were the type."

"Just in case you happened to pop by, of course, sir." She responded with a smile.

"Really?" he chirped enthusiastically. Sam gave him a sarcastic look. "Someone definitely needs coffee." Jack said to himself, walking through to the lounge with a grin.

Sam sighed, wondering what to do with her 'sick' day, and how exactly she would go about telling the Colonel to leave – politely of course. Jack was great to have around unless he wanted something, which in this case was to find out what she was keeping from him. She'd decided it might be better to deal with the kiss that had happened after the party the same way they usually did – ignoring it. But this time was different; they hadn't danced close to the line, they'd crossed it. 

The coffee machine beeped to announce it was ready. She happily poured two cups, guessing Jack would drink some. Coffee was a reliable source of contentment in her hectic life – as sad as it was to admit.

"You not eating anything?" Jack asked her with a concerned frown, taking the mug she offered him from her. Although touched at his caring remark, she rolled her eyes – her whole team seemed to think she forgot to eat and drink on a regular basis.

"Not right now." She replied. 

"So what do you fancy doing today then?" He raised the question, obviously including himself in her day. He blew in to his mug to cool the scolding liquid, not an air of tension about him.

Sam looked up at him in surprise. "I was just thinking, I should really go to the base anyway. I'm not sick." She really didn't want to for fear of running into a certain Max Karrington, but she'd have to face him sooner or later. 

"Carter, just for once, don't think about work." Jack admonished immediately, sounding slightly irritated.

"If I don't go in, then I will have nothing to do. Besides, if I get behind- "

Jack held up one hand, "Ah!" He interrupted her, the same way he always did when she was explaining something in too much detail for him to understand, much less pay attention too. "You still haven't told me what happened yesterday." 

She looked up at him, missing a beat at the sudden change in subject. Although she was surprised she hadn't seen it coming, after seven years working with Jack O'Neill she was usually much more attuned to his questioning tactics.

"Is there a reason you won't tell me?" He continued, his voice bordering on suspicion.

"What's that supposed to mean, sir?" Sam shot back, aware that her defensive tone had a lot to do with hating not being honest with him. She guessed it was more than likely he was taking this personally rather than professionally; when the main reason she didn't want to say anything was to protect them both from Karrington. 

"Exactly what I said. Was it really nothing or has something happened you don't want me to know about?" Jack accused her harshly.

"Sir, that's not fair!" She snapped, standing up to leave the room, to get away from the discussion before it got worse.

"Why not?" He stood, grasping her arm to stop her walking away.

"Because I don't have to tell you!" 

"I could order you to tell me, Major!" Sam could tell he was angry now, she'd very rarely seen him like this, and never directed at her.

"You wouldn't do that, sir." Her voice softened, her blue eyes locking with his brown ones.


	5. Fireworks

Thank you to everyone who has taken the trouble to review! It's so nice of you; criticism is appreciated also – especially on the characterisation, as it is my first stargate fic!

Chapter 5 – Fireworks

He stared at her, completely confused now. Sam was stubborn yes, but only for good reason, and what worried him further was that she had stopped insisting it was nothing. 

"Just tell me what happened."

"I can't!" She protested, raising her voice again, frustrated that she felt tears sting the corners of her eyes.

"Why the hell not?" He yelled back, 

"I just can't!" 

"For cryin' out loud!" He released her arm at last, choosing instead to pull a hand through his short hair. "Is it that bad that you can't tell me? It was twenty minutes, Carter! What the hell happened?"

Sam looked at him in despair; why wouldn't he leave it alone? He was making it so difficult to keep it to herself, but as much as she tried to convince herself, she couldn't work out how she could trust her life to Karrington – even temporarily. It was beginning to dawn on her that she had no reason to believe Karrington wouldn't try to hurt her again. But she had no way of exposing him without risking both hers and Jack's careers, and telling Jack would most likely result in further complications. After seven years the irrational need to prove herself to her team – to Jack – was still there.

"Colonel, please. It's nothing to do with…us." Sam told him calmly, hesitating on how to describe their relationship. She sat down again on the armchair, not daring to meet his eyes for fear his expressive features would convince her to blurt out everything.

"Explain something to me, _Major._" Jack replied heatedly, his frustrated anger still obvious as he stood over her. "Why do I get the feeling this has to do with Karrington?"

She finally looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"The two of you seemed pretty chummy at the party the other night." He accused her, not really believing what he was saying. He knew it didn't make sense, but she was hurting him by not being honest, so in typical O'Neill fashion, he was lashing out.

Sam glared at him in shock, the wounded expression on her face making him regret what he'd said already. 

"Well, _sir,_" her blue eyes flashed furiously and her cheeks flushed pink in rage. "After I went up to the car park last night Colonel Karrington came on to me, and wouldn't take no for an answer. And I can't report him because he threatened _both_ our careers."

Jack stood dumbfounded, trying to take in what she'd just said. 

"Karrington did what?" He asked, his tone incredulous. 

Sam misread his reaction, provoking the tears to return to her eyes again. "You don't believe me?"

"Sam, what did he do to you?" Jack asked her urgently, grasping her hands in his, making her realise his fury wasn't directed at her any more.

"He didn't…I fought him off, but I…I hit my head." She explained, surprising herself by keeping her voice even.

Jack's body was rigid, and she could tell from the fire in his eyes he was furious as he stared at her, weighing the honesty of her answer. "I'll kill him." He growled suddenly, releasing her hands and making for the door.

"Sir, no!" Carter managed to place herself between him and the front door before he got there. "He saw us the other night after Colonel Webster's party, that's why I didn't want to tell you. It's best to forget about it."

"What do you expect me to do, Sam? Working along-side the bastard after he tried to rape my 2IC?" Jack shouted at her, making her flinch at his bluntness.

"I don't know, sir." She replied quietly, suddenly feeling tired. 

 "Damn it, Sam, stop 'sir'ing me!" Jack told her, misplaced irritation tainting his tone as he reluctantly sat back on the sofa. Sam sat down next to him, hesitantly assessing how to convince him to deal with this her way.

"Tell me what happened." He asked her, seemingly calmer, staring down at his hands.

Sam sighed, then explained exactly what had transpired in those twenty minutes. She found herself tearful yet again as she retold the events, the full extent of what could have happened dawning on her. Jack clenched and unclenched his fists whilst she spoke, never looking up to meet her eyes until she finished. He noticed her hands trembling slightly, then her watery eyes, and gave in to the overwhelming urge to hug her, embracing her tightly. It felt as good as it had all those years ago after realising they'd left Daniel behind on a planet alive, rather than dead, Jack's strong arms comforting her, stoking a hand over her hair. Jack heard her sniff a few times as he comforted her, but so far as he could tell she didn't cry outright – she never did. They sat for a good few minutes in each other's arms, both taking solace from the warmth of the embrace.

"I'm sorry." She spoke at last, not moving from his arms. 

"Nothing to be sorry for." Jack replied, being the one to pull back – reluctantly however, to show the sincerity in his face. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, needing the contact, but they found themselves drawing closer again, the moment they'd shared outside the hotel returning. They kissed tentatively at first, both expecting the other to put a stop to it, and then she circled her arms around him, pulling him as close to her as she could. As their kisses became more heated, Jack manoeuvred her body under him on the sofa. He broke off the kiss, then bracing himself with an elbow either side of her, he brushed aside a strand of wayward blonde hair from her eyes affectionately.

"You know I love you, don't you?" Jack asked her, surprising himself at how easily it slipped out. He caressed the side of her face with one hand, admiring how pretty her eyes were when she smiled and nodded, pulling him down for another kiss. 

"Are you sure you want to…" he pulled away again, his rational mind not quite believing he was doing what he'd refused to act on for the past seven years. Her smile was shy this time, but her eyes reflected their conviction. 

"Bedroom," she breathed quietly, to which Jack grinned and scooped her up in his arms.


	6. Good Morning, Beautiful

You thought I was finished?! Got a ways to go yet I'm afraid, folks! Thanks again for all the reviews!

Chapter 6 – Good Morning, Beautiful

Sometime in the next few hours Jack woke to find himself alone in bed, reaching out to the still warm spot where the light blue covers had been thrown back. Before he could jump to all the wrong conclusions about Sam having left, regretting everything that had happened, the door opened quietly as she stepped into the room wearing his t-shirt and carrying a glass of water. Sam moved round to her side of the bed silently, setting the drink on her bedside table and slipping back under the covers.

"Sorry," She smiled apologetically when she realised he was awake, snuggling up to him and resting her head on his broad chest.

"'S 'kay." Came the sleepy reply, his arms enfolding her again, planting a tender kiss on her forehead before drifting off to sleep again.

Jack and Sam spent most of the day in bed, but by late afternoon neither could ignore their rumbling stomachs any longer. Jack suggested pizza., threatening to order pepperoni on it before she countered with a threat to throw him out. 

"You wouldn't." He called her bluff adamantly, to which she stood in front of him, hands on hips and keeping a straight face.

"Watch me." She couldn't hold her serious face long, especially at his hurt expression. A happy smile broke through and Jack enveloped her in a hug, kissing her soundly.

"You smell nice." Sam commented, taking in his musky scent.

"You trying to get round me, Carter? 'Cause pepperoni is worth more than -"

She glared at him, the challenge in her sapphire eyes threatening him again. "Don't even think about it, sir." She said before thinking about it. The humour evaporated immediately, leaving them with the sobering reality that they had to deal with. Sam observed his downcast face, wishing she could take it back. Such a small word that caused so much angst and pain over the years, reminding them both of what couldn't – or at least shouldn't – do. Now they had, they had to deal with the consequences.

"I'm sorry." She apologised in a hushed voice.

Jack didn't reply, one hand reaching out to pull something from her kitchen table, inevitably to fidget with. Sam sighed, pulling a chair out from the table to sit down on, as she longed for the atmosphere to diminish back to only moments before. But she was the practical one, which meant she knew there had to be a time they faced this. The sooner, the better.

"What do we do now?" She thought aloud.

"Order pizza?" Jack quipped weakly, whilst taking apart what she realised was her favourite pen. Sam smiled in response, waiting to see if he would add a serious answer to her question. Tossing the pen – what was left of it – on the table absently, Jack sighed, wandering round the kitchen. "When are you going to tell Hammond about Karrington?" he asked her finally.

"I told you, I can't, even if General Hammond believes me and doesn't listen to what he'll say about you and me, I don't know if I can lie to the General."

Jack paced about again, seemingly deep in thought. "I think I should do some digging on this guy. The sooner he's off the team the better, and he _will _be out of the SGC one way or another." Jack decided, the dangerous look in his eyes again.

"S – Jack," Sam replied, catching herself just in time. "You won't do anything to get yourself in trouble will you? There's plenty of chauvinistic idiots in the Air Force that only see women one way."

Jack stared at her in surprise. "Are you saying this has happened before?"

"No! No, I just don't want you to get in trouble over this." She repeated.

"Me? Would I, Carter?" He feigned indignation and announced he was going to order pizza, disappearing for ten minutes to the hallway.

"The damn pizza guy didn't speak a word of English, for cryin' out loud! Would it be too much to employ an American for once?" 

"I think it's half the fun, at least from their point of view." She laughed.

"And I am getting very worried about your sense of fun, Major." 

There was a silence again, the air tense.

"Should we talk about last night?"

He looked at her, a wry smile on his face. "Last time we tried talking we kinda… moved on to… other things." 

Sam watched his wild hand gestures as he tried to find the right words, finding it hard not to laugh. God knew why she found him so adorable, but she did – at times anyway. How many Air Force Colonel's could be classed as adorable? Next to none. Certainly not something to go down on their CV.

"No giggling, Major. I know that look." 

That set her off, the complicated situation and her complex life suddenly seemed so funny. Damn that new brand of coffee she'd been drinking lately. Jack's hand covered hers as she managed to calm herself, a rare genuine smile adorning his handsome features.

"I don't regret last night, not for a second." He told her seriously.

She smiled brightly back at him. "Neither do I." They shared a gentle kiss and resolved not to think about it any more, instead enjoying each others company in a comfortable, platonic way.

Jack left a little after eight in the evening that night, after helping her clear away all the plates and glasses they'd used. After finding a movie to watch, they had sat together on the sofa to watch it. By half way through, Sam had leant against him and Jack had put his arm round her, both barely realising what they were doing. Once the film had finished, Jack made his exit, promising to return first thing in the morning to pick her up for work. Sam had to admit she'd not felt so relaxed in a long time.

The next morning they slipped back into Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter, parting ways when they reached the commisionary floor. Sam went straight to her lab, wanting to assess exactly how much work she had lagged behind with due to her sick day. After the first hour, Jack turned up in the doorway, apparently for lack of anything better to do. 

"Danny's back and grouchy." He announced suddenly, to make his presence known. She jumped, having not realised he was there whilst she worked on the newest acquisition from SG-12's mission. Jack looked around, searching out any new little gadgets she might have left lying around, before taking a seat opposite her. 

"Really? I should go see him later." Sam replied, not looking up from her work. Jack leaned back in his chair, thrusting his legs up on her desk, which earned him a brief glare.

"Bored, sir?" She asked with a knowing smile.

"Like I said, Danny's grouchy. He threw me out of his office." Jack admitted, picking up a rubix-cube like object from her desk. 

"Second choice was I, sir?" Sam laughed.

"Of course not, Major. I wanted to see how long it would take to annoy the good doctor enough for him to throw me out."

"It was all part of a cunning plan, was it, sir?" She replied, concentrating tinkering with the machine in from of her before continuing. "If you've got nothing to do, sir, you could always catch up on you memos."

"Oh, that was low, Major. And you know I could never be that bored." 

"Sorry, sir." Sam smiled defiantly.

"So whatcha doin'?" Jack asked her, still turning the gismo over in his hands.

"You really want to know?"

He looked sheepish for a fleeting second before responding. "Nah, not really. You ready for a break?"

Sam debated for a second, and then finished the part she was working on. "Yeah, okay. We can swing by Daniel's office on the way."

"Ahh… maybe you should. Danny kinda threatened to throw things in my general direction if I came back within the next few hours."

She laughed at his expression; fairly sure Daniel had meant it. "I'll protect you, sir."

Jack bit back a lewd remark that instantly came to mind, instead choosing to raise an eyebrow. "You'd better, Carter. 'Cause he wasn't kidding."

She laughed at him again, making a mental note to find out exactly what the Colonel had done to annoy Daniel so much. Following him out of the lab, Sam suddenly spotted her coat on the hanger behind the door – the coat she'd left behind when Karrington attacked her. She stared for a second at the long dark material, trying to convince herself that it must have been an airman or someone else who had found it and returned it. But her door had been locked; she always locked her lab before leaving. 

Jack had gone on ahead of her, unaware she'd stopped. Sam forced her eyes away and closed the door behind her, hurrying to catch up with him, an uneasy feeling turning her stomach.


	7. Answers

Circles

Chapter 7 - Answers

"Hi." Sam knocked on Daniel's door to announce her presence. He was leaning back in his seat with his cast leg propped up on another chair, engrossed in some papers on his lap.

"Sam, hi." He greeted her, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "I'd get up but…" The doctor gestured to his leg, which Sam noticed had been colourfully signed in many different handwritings.

"How are you?"

"I'm okay. Pleased to be out of there."

"Really?" Sam asked with a knowing smile.

"You've been talking to Jack haven't you?" Daniel replied with exasperation.

"I hear the nurses took quite a fancy to you." She couldn't help it, Daniel was just so easy to tease, and it had been a while since they could have a conversation outside of an infirmary or hospital.

"Actually I have a date tonight." 

"A date?" She grinned. "Is that why you threw Jack out before?" If Daniel had let slip to Jack that he'd been right about the nurses, Daniel would never hear the end of it.

"Jack?" He looked at her with surprise.

"What?" 

"You said Jack."

"I did?"

"You did." 

She was saved from covering the slip by the man in question turning up at the door, stopping in the doorway to observe what was taking she and Daniel so long to join him in the comissionary.

"You two done yet? Apparently there's jello on the menu – blue, Carter." He moved to enter the room only for Daniel to stop him abruptly from where he was sitting.

"Stop right there, Jack." 

"Danny, come on. I didn't mean to break that… whatever it was."

"Actually you broke the artefact from PX3-110 as well, sir." Sam piped up.

Jack gave an exasperated sigh. "Am I supposed to know what that is?" 

"That cube that was on my desk this morning." 

"I broke that?"

"It doesn't glow anymore, sir." She grinned.

"I'm loosing the will to live here, kids." 

Daniel got to his feet with the aid of his crutches, moving past Jack with surprising speed, shooting a sarcastic, "I'm sure blue jello will cure that." over his shoulder as he left.

Jack looked to Sam in bewilderment. "Oh, he's really pissed." He stated with a smile.

**

General Hammond was finishing his latest progress report to the president when his 2IC knocked at the door.

"What can I do for you, Colonel?"

"Well, sir, it's about Colonel Karrington." Hammond looked at him with a weary expression. He'd half-expected a personality clash between the two, and he hadn't had a lot of choice as to Karrington's assignment. Orders directly from the President himself had come down to assign the Colonel as a temporary on SG-1. Of course he had been suspicious, especially as certain areas of Karrington's background had been blacked out, but there had been no reason to distrust the man when they had met, so he had left it alone. 

"Is there a problem?"

"General, it's a bit difficult to go in to at the moment. I'd like to request SG-1 be put on stand-down until the weekend."

"You know your team is scheduled to go off-world in 36 hours? I need a good reason, Jack." The use of his first name let Jack know this would be off the record if necessary, which he was very grateful for.

"Sir, do you have the background files for Colonel Karrington?"

"Of course."

"Anything… odd about them?" Jack questioned, hoping the General would trust him enough to tell him honestly what his opinion was.

"He's moved pretty fast up the ranks over the last ten years, and there's a few gaps in his history – but then so do you, Colonel." Hammond answered.

"I just need to contact a few people before we head out again, sir."

Hammond hesitated, before deciding that friction within his flagship team was best avoided. "Granted, Colonel. You have until Friday to sort this out. But please don't ruffle too many feathers in the process."

**

Sam was putting the finishing touches to a new portable power source she'd been working on when Colonel Karrington appeared at her door. 

"Major."

"Yes sir?" She grated out.

"I see you got your coat back." Karrington said as he gestured to it hanging behind the door. 

There was something in his half smile that sent her defences up. "How did you put it there with my lab locked?"

"Oh, you think I did it?" He laughed outright.

"Is there something you wanted, Colonel?" Sam asked.

"Just wondering if you hurt yourself, falling like that yesterday." 

"Excuse me?"

"When you hit your head."

She didn't reply, refusing to be baited by him. "If that's all, sir."

He obviously wasn't getting the message, as he stood there, turning to look around at the various gadgets and technology littering her lab.

**

"I'm not happy about this Jack."

"Ahh come on Harry, you live for this cloak and dagger stuff." Jack replied, taking shelter in the shadows the trees cast behind the building. "What did you find?"

"You said Max Karrington right?" Maybourne asked to be certain. "Well you got yourself a right one here. He comes from a long patriotic line of Karringtons, all in the service for at least thirty years. They have money, lots of it – old money mind you, the family made its fortune in the '20s, but stayed in the military."

"What does this have to do with the SGC, Maybourne?" Jack pushed, his patience wearing thin very quickly.

"Max didn't conform to tradition until sometime in the early nineties. He took the fact his father would get him out of any trouble he caused completely for granted, and being the four-star General that James Karrington was, Max escaped plenty of court-martials."

"What exactly was the 'trouble'?"

"Mostly indiscretions with female officers. Several charges were brought against him over the years, only to be dropped within the next week after they'd been filed. Looked to me like the guy doesn't have the greatest respect for women. Better watch that Major Carter of yours, Jack." Maybourne smirked at him, his knowing face unnerving Jack slightly.

"He's an arrogant son of a bitch. What happened in the early nineties?" Jack asked, glaring at his acquaintance.

"It seems Karrington's promotions started coming in very fast at the same time as the NID took on a new employee."

Jack rolled his eyes. "NID have planted him at the SGC? What happened to stealing technology keeping them happy?"

"I'm not entirely sure the NID are behind the assignment, his father seems to have pulled some strings to get his wonderful son a better placement and the NID were only too happy to oblige."

"Does this James Karrington know about the Stargate program?" 

"His links to the NID suggest that may be the case. Last I heard the guy wasn't doing so well health-wise."

"I might've guessed you'd know him."

"Why Jack, I help you out and all you do is berate my employers." Maybourne replied in his usual condescending manner.

"Yeah Harry, it's a great bunch of people you work for." Jack responded sarcastically. "So what does this Max guy want at the SGC?"

"Like I said, I don't know. It could be that it's an official assignment, but his ties to the NID means he reports back. I'll warn you Jack, don't bet on this being temporary."

**

Jack stalked the halls, his dark mood obvious to anyone who passed. He was sick and tired of the NID, various political figures and god knew who else making it so difficult to get their jobs done at the SGC. He was on his way to Carter's lab, hoping to get her out of the base and discuss the information that Maybourne had come up with.

"Sir, I'm busy." He heard her say heatedly, opening the door to see Karrington leaning over her desk to look at the thing she was working on, much to her irritation. 

"What's going on?" Jack demanded, making them both jump.

"Nothing, sir. I've nearly finished the -" Sam was cut off by the sudden wail of the klaxons going off, alerting them of 'Unsceduled Offworld Activation'.

All three officers ran for the control room as SG-1 and two other teams were asked to report there over the PA system. General Hammond approached them as they got there.

"That was Sg-13 radioing from PX5-778, they asked for help with their mission. It appears they have found a large amount of naquada in one part of the planet, and they need help persuading the villagers they mean them no harm."

"Sounds like a diplomatic mission to me, sir." Jack replied, hoping he wasn't going to be asked to do this.

"Unfortunately not, Colonel. The villagers have many advanced weapons that they are threatening to use against SG-13. Jack, I know I said you could take some time off but I need you to go to that planet." 

Sam looked at Jack in surprise at the mention of him taking some time off, and then returned her attention to Hammond. "Sir, advanced weapons could mean they have advanced technology to use against the goa'uld. Is our primary mission for the naquada or an alliance with these people?"

"Hopefully both, Major. But if you cannot change the villagers minds; try to find out if they know about or use the naquada, and take it from there."

"Yes, sir." 

"I'm sending SG-1, SG-3 and SG-7, and I do not want a fire-fight. If the villagers attack, for any reason, defend yourselves and retreat to the Stargate. Jack, you're the commanding officer on this mission."

"Yes, sir." 


	8. Complications

I'm sorry I know its been ages, had to change the way the whole story was going but I've finally thought up a decent storyline! Hope its worth the wait! ;o)

Circles 

Chapter 8 - Complications

"Still seems strange without Daniel along with us."

Sam's attempt at light conversation finally broke her CO's intense stare straight ahead, turning his head to meet her concerned gaze. He shot a look over his shoulder to where Teal'c and Karrington were walking behind them in silence. "How much further, Carter?"

"Only a mile or so, sir. It'd be easier to tell if we were in contact with SG-13, but with radio silence I can only guess."

He looked amused for a second. "But you do know where we're going, right?"

"Yes, sir." She responded with an insubordinate roll of her blue eyes, stepping over one of the many large stones that scattered their path from the stargate.

All they could see up ahead was the continuing green of the dense forest trees, making Jack wonder if they would prove to be a problem in finding their fellow SGC members. He turned again to his 2IC, mentally focusing his full attention on the mission ahead of them, rather than the complicated problems that hopefully could wait until they got back to Earth.

"Is this going to be a mission where I have to watch what I say?" He asked her warily.

She met his dark eyes with a smile. "Probably, sir."

The sparse but comfortable conversation continued for another fifteen minutes before SG-1 stumbled across Major Walters of SG-13, who led them to his teammates' location not far from the village. Their outpost was littered with the geology equipment they'd been using to study the make-up of the planet, the two junior officers on the team still working.

"Hey kids, hear you're having some trouble." Jack broached brightly, resting his hand on his P-90 as casually as if he were discussing restaurants to dine in.

"The leader of the villagers has agreed to meet with us this afternoon, sir." Lt. Colonel Craig informed him.

"Well that's good, right?" Karrington spoke up.

"It is if they hear us out this time." Walters confirmed for him, a note of distaste in his voice.

"They appear to have pretty nice weapons at their disposal, Colonel. Had a couple pointed at us yesterday, but no weapons-fire as yet." Craig explained calmly.

"So they haven't mentioned naquada?" Carter asked.

"No mention whatsoever, Major. Although we haven't had an overly long communication with any of them yet." Craig answered.

"So how should we play this? Nice, friendly Earthlings who want to dig around their planet for no apparent reason? Or are we going to tell these guys what we want?" Jack asked, candid as ever.

"Play it by ear I think, sir. We may not have any choice but to be honest if they do know of the pockets of naquada here."

"There's no guarantee these people will have any use for the naquada even if they are aware of it. If that's the case, we might be better limiting the amount of information we give them about its value to us." Carter put in quickly, receiving nods of agreement in response.

%%%%

The large village was spread over a clearing, surrounded by enormous trees, resulting in a very dramatic setting that would've kept Daniel happy for weeks. The leader of the village - Has'in, was a little more welcoming than they'd expected, offering them drinks and small pastry-like salty things, which Jack had to admit didn't taste all that bad.

There were several other villagers also present in the large stone room, who mostly stayed silent during the short meeting. Has'in apologised for their apparent hostility towards SG-13, explaining that some of their people had recently discovered another dwelling on the far side of the planet, with whom they had had no relations with thus far, due to their aggressive threats when contact had been attempted.

"We feared you," Has'in gestured to the four men of SG-13, "came from this place to attack us. We apologise for our short-sightedness, and would like to welcome you all to our village."

Jack fought the urge to groan aloud, seeing this turning into a purely diplomatic mission that could be handled easily by SG-13 alone. Better call the teams by the gate and tell them to go home, he thought enviously. He and Sg-1 would now, no doubt, have to stay and 'play nice'.

"We would like to invite you to dine with us tonight. A celebration in new friendship." Has'in continued, much to Jack's disappointment.

"We'd love to." He replied with all the pleasantness he could muster.

%%%%

SG-1 and 13 were then lead towards a large house that apparently served as a guesthouse of sorts, where they could relax until the 'celebration' began. The eight SGC members took their time in following the boy who looked no older than late teens and served as their escort, taking the opportunity to study their surroundings. There seemed to be many buildings of red or grey stone, large buildings which Carter guessed meant several families shared due to the number of villagers she'd seen so far and the number of houses. As she scanned the area, Sam became aware of several of the young men who escorted the teams watching her as they walked, turning away quickly when she tried to meet their eyes. She had yet to spot any female villagers, but she was continuing to hold on to the hope that men simply outnumbered women on this planet.

They were lead into the guesthouse by the young villagers, who hovered around the large entrance room whilst their guests roamed the building, some studying the structure, others exploring with a mix of military training and plain curiosity. After a quick assessment of their situation, finding no sign of anything untoward, Jack made himself comfortable on the plush satin-like cushions in the entrance room. He watched Carter for a minute where she sat on one of the nearby pillows, studying one of the doo-hickeys she always had with her.

"Whatcha doin'?"

She smiled at his question, her eyes firmly on the little gizmo's LCD screen. "Just checking the electro-magnetic fields from this planet's sun, sir."

"Ah." He nodded, feigning comprehension.

Sam looked up to grin at him, about to launch into an explanation, but caught another of the attendants watching her again. She looked to Jack, who had also seemingly noticed the attention she was receiving. Getting up, she moved over to where one of the men were hovering, seeing to their guests' needs under Has'in's orders.

"Excuse me," Sam touched his arm gently to get his attention, surprised by the startled look on the boy's face.

"Is there something you would like me to get for you?" He asked her, a wavering tone to his voice as if he wasn't sure if he was doing something wrong.

"No, thank you. What's your name?"

"Kay'lan, kiria."

"I was hoping you could tell me a little about your people, Kay'lan." She explained, smiling encouragingly.

"What is it you wish to know?" His eyes seemed locked to her face, his expression slightly fearful.

"Where do your female villagers live?"

His expression changed to confusion. "With their husbands."

"Will all the villagers be at the celebration tonight?"

"Our women must stay inside before darkness, then they will dance for us."

She opened her mouth to question him further, but an older man who she recognised from the initial meeting stepped in next to Kay'lan, asking him to go fetch more clothing for their visitors.

Not to be put off, Sam turned her questions to him instead. "You don't allow women outside until after darkness?" She asked lightly.

The newcomer's face took on an amused expression, seemingly knowing what her concern was. "Do not worry, Samantha Carter. Your ways must differ from ours."

She smiled, feeling a little uneasy at his penetrating stare. "Yes, I think they do."

"The younger males will appreciate your beauty in the sunlight as they cannot with the females of this village."

Sam felt rather than heard Jack's approach from behind her, obviously as concerned about this strange custom as she was. Undaunted by Jack's proximity, the older man reached out to touch her shoulder, a little more possessively than Sam was comfortable with for a stranger, as he continued;

"Females in our village are not to cut their hair shorter than their waist. It is a sign of beauty. The males of this village cannot understand how a woman such as yourself can cut short her hair and yet possess a rare beauty."

Jack didn't like where this was heading, the warning signs of trouble already surfacing from the male-female customs. "I think we should be okay from here, thanks, buddy." He said as airily as he could, steering his 2IC away from leering eyes before she could voice something he'd rather she didn't.

"We shall meet again at the celebration." He stated agreeably, sounding more of a threat than a goodbye.

Alone in the large room, they sat opposite each other on the plush cushions. "I have a bad feeling about this, sir."

"You're not the only one, Carter," he agreed, getting up to search for the rest of their group.

Sam watched the light material that served as a door billowing inwards from the breeze outside, thinking through scenarios that may or may not be a danger at the celebration that evening. She kept coming back to the fact the villagers seemed genuinely excited at their visitors, and if each SG team member watched what they said and did without tripping over local customs, a treaty might be possible.

The members of SG-13 entered the room from deeper within the house, Walters clutching the geology instrument he'd been using earlier, followed by Teal'c and an annoyed Jack.

"So where the hell is Karrington?"

%%%%


	9. Confrontations

I beginning to think some of you reviewers have psychic powers – every time I sit down to write a chapter I get an e-mail saying I've had a review :oD lol. A huge thank you to all you lovely reviewers ( I don't deserve it because I keep you waiting too long!) it helps an awful lot when I've got writers block!

**Circles **

Chapter 9 – Confrontations

"I haven't seen him, sir."

"I think he went with the kid that led us here, Colonel. Kid had been saying something about seeing the local historian and Karrington went with him when he left. I assumed he'd informed you, sir." Lt. Col. Craig advised Jack, a perplexed frown creasing his brow.

"Must have slipped his mind," Jack muttered sarcastically before he stormed outside, throwing an order to Carter over his shoulder to update Teal'c and the members of SG-13 on the local custom they'd learned from Kay'lan.

Schooling the angry scowl from his face so as to avoid alienating any of their potential new allies, Jack stalked back to the hall their original meeting had been held in. Finding no sign of his wayward _temporary_ team-mate, he turned to find a young boy who seemed to be trailing behind him as some form of escort.

"Hey, kid," Jack held out his hand companionably, guessing the boy could be no older than fifteen. "I'm Jack, what's your name?"

Looking decidedly frightened, the dark-haired teenager switched his gaze from Jack's face to his out-stretched hand and back again. "I am Cre'nan."

"You think you could help me out Cre'nan? Can you tell me where the historian in the village lives?" Jack smiled as the boy nodded, turning to lead him out of the grand hall.

They walked in silence, Cre'nan turning to look up at Jack as if he wanted to say something but never working up the nerve to voice it. They looked to be heading clear across the village, the large buildings they passed reminding Jack of plain old Earth streets of houses, minus the cars parked outside.

"Kirie," Cre'nan said suddenly, obviously addressing him, although Jack hadn't the first clue what the boy had just said. "Your female has hair like the sun, yes?"

Jack smiled at the innocence of the question. "Yep, Carter's a blonde."

"And she belongs to you, yes? Not the others?" He continued, gaining a little more confidence in his voice.

"No, we all travel together; she doesn't belong to any of us." Jack replied carefully, wondering how honest the village's leader had been with the general public about their guests.

"She is not bonded?"

"Free and single," His friendly smile faltered, suddenly wondering if feigning a 'bonding' in the group would be a better idea. He was further confused by Cre'nan's response to it.

"That is a great pity."

* * *

No more was said as they stopped outside a large grey-stone building, Jack following his young tour-guide through the curtain that served at a door. He spotted Karrington in the large front room, sitting with an older and younger woman, who looked to be mother and daughter, and a bearded man in the corner, who Jack guessed must be the historian. Seemingly in deep conversation about the original founders of the village, Karrington barely noticed his CO's appearance. The younger woman was sitting closest to Karrington, stealing glances at their guest whilst following the conversation. Both women had an exotic look to them, dark raven hair falling down their backs accompanying very dark eyes. It was obvious why the villagers were so enthralled with Carter, as she couldn't look more different from the women in this room.

Jack managed to stand silently, waiting for a break in the conversation instead of going with his inclination to pull his wayward team-mate from the room. It wouldn't be a great demonstration in front of the off-world strangers, he kept telling himself.

"You done yet?" He asked impatiently, adding a quick "Howdy folks," in greeting to the other occupants of the room.

Karrington turned to look at him as if only just realising he was there. "Actually I was just -"

"We'll see you folks at the party tonight," Jack smiled briefly, grabbing Karrington's arm and hauling him up and out of the room.

Once outside and headed towards their 'guest house', Karrington pulled his arm free. "That wasn't necessary."

Jack stopped and glowered at him, mentally trying to quell the urge to punch him. "Yes, Max it was necessary."

"Because…"

"Apart from you feeling the need to run off and do your own thing, without even informing your commanding officer, I – unfortunately – am responsible for making damn sure you don't screw up this mission."

"We're the same rank, Jack, so don't pull that crap on me." Karrington replied arrogantly, moving away.

Jack caught his arm and pulled him back. "Off-world you barely have a rank, Max. Just shut up and follow my orders and we'll not have to speak to each other again." This time Jack was the one to walk away, the tension in his shoulders an obvious give-away to any who knew him that a fury lay barely hidden below the surface. He heard a sarcastic laugh from behind him.

"So she told you then?"

Jack stopped walking, debating whether to turn around or leave the conversation right now. The sun was setting, the sky streaked a crimson colour, signifying that the celebration would start soon, and although no one was around now, there would be shortly.

"Yeah, well I tried to stop her. Women, ya know? Can't say I mind being jumped by a woman like that-"

Three long strides and Jack had him by the collar, Karrington's self-satisfied smirk fuelling his urge to knock him out. "I'm only going to say this once, Karrington. If you go anywhere near Carter again, I'll personally make you wish you'd never set foot in the SGC. Do you understand me?"

"So you're threatening me now?"

Jack glared at him once more, and then shoved him backwards, moving away quickly before he lost complete control of his temper. Stalking back to their designated accommodation, he was pleased to find the front room empty, dropping down heavily to the cushions. He was going to have to find something to beat the crap out of, or he was going to go nuts. The sooner they were off this damn planet the better.

* * *

Sam, along with Teal'c and SG-13 had been led back to the large hall, and invited to join the large evening meal that was laid out in front of them. There was no sign of any female villagers as the sunlight was not altogether gone, but as Has'in explained when Major Walters asked, the meal would denote the end of the 'lightness'. Has'in informed his guests that a large fire would be lit in the 'centre square' for the evening in their honour, and anything else they required would be seen to by the young boys who had been with them that afternoon. O'Neill and Karrington were both missing as they ate, but when Karrington turned up ten minutes later, Sam excused herself and went in search of her CO.

"Shall I escort you, Major Carter?" Teal'c offered.

"No, no. You stay, enjoy the meal." She smiled gratefully at him, and then headed outside and away from the leers of the male villagers within the hall. Walking back to their quarters, she found O'Neill sitting in the now-near darkness.

"Sir?" Her voice was quiet as she neared him, and she was able to make out his profile turn towards her in the twilight.

"Hey, Carter. Where'd you spring from?"

"Everyone's at the meeting hall, sir. They've made food for us." She explained, standing in front of him. Her head turned at the sound of many voices coming from outside. "Or at least they were."

"Sounds like the party's starting without us, Carter." He pulled himself up, ushering her out the door again.

"Are you okay, Colonel?" Sam asked, concern clearly written on her face as she turned back to him.

He graced her with a tired smile. "Peachy, Carter. Just peachy."


	10. Endurance

Apologies for this chapter as I haven't checked it properly :oS (no beta-reader ya see) And yes I am British to someone who asked :oD Thats why colour is spelt with a 'u' in my fics! :oD

**Circles **

Chapter 10 – Endurance

The sight that greeted them was almost like a carnival. A large bonfire was being set alight in the village centre, colourful lights adorned the brick buildings and lanterns were being lit and placed on overhanging hooks to act as streetlamps. The villagers appeared to no longer consist of solely men, as dozens of raven-haired females joined the festivities, each wearing bright gowns that left little to the imagination.

Jack spotted SG-13 a little distance away, relieved when he saw Teal'c and Karrington alongside them. While Teal'c seemed to be watching the events with his usual passing interest, the beautiful women entranced the remaining five SGC members. Curious glances were sent back from both male and female villagers alike, interested to know more about their strange guests.

Still hidden in the doorway of the guesthouse, Jack grasped Sam's arm gently. "Do me a personal favour, stay by me or Teal'c tonight, okay? I've got a bad feeling about these folks."

"I can look after myself, sir." She assured him, not sure whether to be offended or touched by his concern.

"I know you can, that's why it's a favour, Carter."

Sam rolled her eyes with a smile, reluctantly agreeing. Letting go of her arm, Jack made a sweeping gesture for her to precede him and they walked towards where Teal'c was currently being asked questions by an enraptured boy of no older than ten. Karrington appeared to have spotted the historian and his family, deep in conversation, whilst most of SG-13 was sitting around the large blaze in the centre of the square. As Sam approached, she heard the boy asking Teal'c what the marking on his forehead was and why he carried a big stick that was taller than he was. Smirking, she looked at Teal'c's impassive face, wondering if he ever got tired of that question.

Jack stared into the flames of the large bonfire, a million miles away. He was tempted to walk around the perimeter of the village under the pretence of exploring, just to get away from all the lights and noise. Glancing at his 2IC, the uneasy feeling he'd had since he'd heard of this strange night-only tradition with the women in the village sprang up again. Never one to ignore his instincts, he sauntered over to where she stood, a slight smile on her face as she watched Teal'c deal with the inquisitive young boy.

"Hey, Carter. Going for a wander round the woods, wanna come with?"

She looked up at him, wondering if he was bored already or if he had something to talk about. "Sure, sir."

"T, Carter and I are going to check the perimeter. Radio if there's any problems." Jack instructed the Jaffa, who nodded his acknowledgement.

Sam turned her head so she could see his face, half hidden by the pale moonlight casting shadows over his features. "I think Teal'c has his hands full with that kid."

Jack sent her a pre-occupied smile, eyes set on the path ahead. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Sam could no longer stand it.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

He didn't answer immediately, making Sam wonder if he'd heard her question.

"Karrington could be NID."

Sam stopped walking abruptly. "What? How do you know?"

"Doesn't matter how I know. But he'll want to stay on SG-1 if the NID have anything to do with it."

"General Hammond would never let him stay on SG-1."

"No, he wouldn't."

"Sir, what are you not saying?" Sam asked suspiciously.

Jack sighed and finally turned to look directly at her. "If NID have managed to get someone on to SG-1 after all this time there has to be a reason for it being now. They must have a way planned to make this permanent, and I don't know of any five person teams at the SGC, do you?"

The crackle of the radio coming to life stopped Sam from replying. "Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c's voice.

"Yeah, reading you Teal'c." Jack said.

"General Hammond said to report at precisely 1900 hours. Do you wish me to make contact, O'Neill?"

"It's okay, T. Be there in a few minutes."

They walked back together in silence. Sam was still trying to process the implications of her CO's somewhat cryptic revelations as she glanced at his stony expression. She walked with him to the stargate, where Teal'c was stood by the MALP, awaiting their arrival. He dialled the DHD and Jack reported in briefly to General Hammond, informing him that they had been offered a place to stay tonight and would be broaching the naquada situation tomorrow.

When the three of them arrived back in the village, the celebrations seemed to be in full swing. SG-13 appeared to have acquired the attention of several women, who stood close to them, handing them beverages and smiling flirtatiously. Jack made a beeline for the bonfire, leaving Teal'c and Sam talking about the pros and cons of the winter months in Colorado Springs. It seemed Teal'c had learned a thing or two from Jonas and his love of the weather channel from what he overheard the Jaffa saying.

Jack had no idea how much time had passed when he heard Sam asking him something. Pulled from his thoughts, he wrenched his gaze away from the dying blaze and turned to look at her pretty face. He couldn't even remember her sitting down next to him.

"Sorry, Carter. What did you say?"

"Are you okay, Colonel?" She asked, worry creasing her forehead.

He nodded, his vision suddenly picking up on a man behind Sam. He was reaching forward to touch her hair, a look of disbelief on his face as though she was defying all logic by having blonde hair.

"Carter." He said in warning just as she seemed to sense the man's presence behind her, a self-conscious hand going to her head as she turned.

"What magic do you use to make your hair this way, woman?" The tall man asked, non-too politely. His greyish eyes watched her distrustfully, as though daring her to deny what she was some sort of witch.

"People have many different hair colours on our planet. It's not uncommon." She replied patiently, with what she hoped was a placating smile.

Instead, he grabbed her by the arm roughly. "We do not appreciate magic in this village, it is cursed by the elders and shall be cursed by- "

"You don't understand. We're from a different- "

Jack had had enough, standing and grasping the man's shoulder. "Okay, buddy, let go of her. Go see Has'sin and get this all straightened out."

On cue, the guy who they'd met that afternoon and informed them of the bizarre male-female customs appeared, placing a calming hand on the older man's back.

"This woman is no danger to you and your family, Falin."

With one last accusing glare at Sam, he dropped her arm forcibly and walked away. Jack watched as she rubbed her arm, before turning his attention to the man next to him.

"I apologise for the Falin's misgivings. He believes you have bewitched many men in the village, including his own son." He paused, gazing at her openly. "I did not introduce myself before, I am Ranin."

"Nice to meet you." Sam nodded politely. "Ranin, who are the elders?"

"They were the founders of this village." He replied, his gaze sweeping over her hair and face, Jack noticed warily. "They lived here many years ago, when the village was small and whispers of magic and evil where all around."

"Sounds swell." Jack put in, gaining a small smile from Sam and a look from Ranin that looked as though he'd forgotten he was there.

"You would do well to wear female garments, Major. You hide your true appearance like this." Ranin reached out to touch her shoulder, letting his hand run down her arm. Jack had to forcibly stop himself swatting his arm away, instead watching his 2IC smile tightly.

"It's the uniform our people wear when we explore other planets." She replied, stepping away from Ranin's wandering hand and trying to keep her annoyance from showing too obviously.

"Come, we shall discuss this further." It was an order, not a request. His hand found her hair before she could stop him, commenting; "Such a beautiful colour."

"Please don't do that." She told him, pleasantries evading her as she pushed his hand away with a firm grip on his wrist. Jack watched with a cool eye, knowing Sam could handle herself.

"Come," Ranin insisted, not deterred by her rejection, he moved him hand to her back as if to guide her.

"No, Ranin. I have to stay here. With my team." She gestured to Jack, glad of his presence even if she'd never have admitted it to him.

Ranin looked at her in confusion, then to Jack and back again. "You are bonded?"

Sam fought the urge to roll her eyes, wondering how Daniel managed to know so many customs from various cultures and still dealt with explaining how Earth was different to their respective planet without loosing his patience. Maybe she'd spent too much time in the presence of a certain Colonel.

Jack beat her to an answer, revealing his irritation. "Which answer will get you to stop touching her?"

The two men glared at each other, before Jack broke away, turning to his 2IC and placing a hand to her back to steer her away. "Lets get back to the house, Carter."

Spotting Lt. Col. Craig looking like he was rather enjoying himself with two women, Jack called over to him that Teal'c, who had returned to the guesthouse a little while ago to perform kal'no'reem, he and Major Carter were retiring for the night. "Keep an eye out for Karrington, will you?" He added as he scanned the area, unable to see him.

* * *

Sam woke the following morning to the sound of raised voices somewhere near her. Pulling her jacket on against the chill of the early morning breeze, she found Jack, Karrington, Ranin and a man she thought she recognised as the historian.

"That's not how we do things. You can't just trade-off." Jack was saying heatedly to the two villagers.

"My daughter was promised to Ranin, now she is yours," The historian replied, speaking to Karrington. "And Ranin is free to choose another."

Sam suddenly had a very bad feeling about what was going on. What had Karrington done?

"I don't want her! She seduced me. We don't have the same customs as you do, surely you can't expect us to go along with yours?" Karrington insisted, earning an angry "Shut up!" from Jack.

Sam stepped out into the weak sunshine, making all four men look towards her. "What's going on?"

Ranin was the one who stepped towards her. "Your team-mate spent yesterday evening with my betrothed, Major Carter. I am therefore free to bond with whomever I deem worthy."

Sensing what was coming, Sam stepped back involuntarily.

"I choose you."


	11. Homecoming

**Circles**

**Chapter 11 – Homecoming**

"No, Ranin." Sam pulled away from his outstretched hand, exchanging a horrified gaze with her CO over Ranin's shoulder.

"It's not your decision, Major. I have chosen you."

"I'm not a member of this village, Ranin, the rules you have here are not the same as ours on Earth. They don't apply to us, okay?"

The historian, a tall man with dark grey hair pulled back into a braid, inserted himself into the situation again, admonishing her. "You must not speak to your betrothed that way."

Sam pulled a hand through her hair in frustration, and then looked at Ranin as an idea struck her. "I'm not betrothed to this man. On my world you can't marry twice, is that true here as well?"

"This is true. But you are bonded to no one, as you told me yesterday evening." As Ranin stepped forward again, his confidence returning as he reminded her of her words, Sam saw Jack move forwards, clearly ready for a fight should the situation escalate.

"I'm already bonded to someone else, Ranin. I never said I wasn't."

Ranin looked at her in confusion, his dark eyes studying her face as if to gauge whether she was telling the truth. "You are lying. You are not bonded to any man who travels with you, and a female cannot travel without her companion without relinquishing that bond."

"That's not- " Sam stopped. This was useless. Changing tack, she moved past Ranin to stand beside Jack and prayed he would forgive her for this. "I'm bonded to Colonel O'Neill."

"You are?" Jack looked at her incredulously, to which Sam shot him a look that clearly told him to be quiet and play along.

"If one is bonded, they cannot be removed from their companion." The historian informed Ranin, placing a hand on his fellow villager's shoulder.

"Listen up folks, how about you all just pretend this never happened, okay? We'll get going and leave you all to it." Jack suggested, propelling Sam back towards the guest house with a hand on her back, barely waiting for an answer.

"I apologise, Major. I did think it seemed… implausible that a woman of your beauty would remain cast-away." Ranin grasped Sam's hand before they could make their escape. Jack stopped beside her; a possessive arm over her shoulders that he convinced himself was solely for Ranin's benefit.

"Cast-away?"

"Yes. A female who is not bonded before they have lived for twenty-one cycles of the sun is deemed cast-away. They are seen as unable to find a mate and therefore unworthy of bearing children."

Sam gaped in shock at the off-hand tone in which he delivered the harsh statement. "But that's- "

"Carter!" Jack interrupted quickly. "Go give the order to round up the troops and collect their stuff."

Karrington had disappeared into the house as the arguments had started, and Jack was looking forward to tearing a strip off him for the near-disaster he'd just caused. He found SG-13 packing their equipment along with Teal'c and Karrington looking sullen in the corner.

"Sir?" Carter asked from behind him. Turning to her, he was met with one of her unhappy-with-the-situation expressions he seemed to be rather good at provoking.

"What, Carter?"

"Sir, this is ridiculous. They won't allow women out in the sunlight, they have to be married before they're twenty-one and who knows what they do with children. They certainly aren't in the village."

"It's not our problem, Carter. Let's just get the hell out of here before they spring anymore customs on us."

"But sir- "

"Ah! Not a word! We'll send an all male, diplomatic team through sometime in the future. We're leaving. Right now."

* * *

"I will be so glad to be back on good-old Earth soil again." Jack exclaimed as he and Teal'c halted in front the Stargate. 

"I agree, O'Neill. I believe this planet has many aspects in which could potentially result in hostility."

Jack looked at his friend. "T, remind me to educate you on the finer points of Earth phrases."

Lt. Col. Craig dialled the 'gate, then Jack sent SG-1's code through the GDO to the SGC. Both teams arrived back on Earth safely, SFs coming forward to retrieve their weapons as General Hammond strode purposefully though the blast doors to greet them.

"Welcome back SG-1, SG-13. Any problems, Colonel?"

Jack glanced over his shoulder at Karrington. "Just the one, sir. About 6'2, standing just behind me." He didn't stop long enough to explain himself, and Hammond knew him well enough not to stop him. An angry Jack O'Neill should always be left alone to seethe.

* * *

Jack slammed his locker door shut harder than he needed to, sitting on the bench in the middle of the empty locker room. He'd gone to his office to hide out and wait for SG-13 and everyone else to finish cleaning up, so he'd have the place to himself. He pulled both hands through his still-wet silvery hair. Showering and changing clothes hadn't helped his mood. Karrington was a liability, but at the same time he was dangerous. It wasn't as though he cared much if his own career lasted much longer, should it mean being with Sam and her escaping any backlash. But any involvement with the NID meant bad news for the SGC as a whole. 

The door opened, pulling Jack from his deliberations. Karrington walked in towards his newly appointed locker, barely sparing a glance towards his temporary CO.

"Hammond's postponed the debrief 'til tomorrow morning." The younger man said as he opened his locker, pulling out a brown winter jacket.

Jack didn't reply, watching the bluey-grey metal of the lockers to stop himself saying or doing anything he would regret.

Karrington smirked at the lack of response, shutting the locker door with a bang. "Close call with your girlfriend back there, huh?"

"Don't start with me, Karrington." Jack stood up, shrugged his black leather coat on and looked straight at him. "We both know who caused that to happen."

"Yeah, you're right." Averting his piercing green eyes, Karrington feigned remorse for a second before locking his gaze to Jack's again with a smirk. "Can't say it wasn't fun though."

"Glad you enjoyed yourself." Jack replied sarcastically, gripping the strap of his bag and pulling it over his shoulder, getting ready to leave.

"Who would've thought such a simple mistake could've caused so much trouble?" Karrington continued in mock disbelief.

Something in the way he said it made Jack stop and look at him suspiciously.

"I mean what are the chances? That Ranin guy takes an interest in Carter, and lets face it; who can blame him? And he's betrothed to the historian's daughter. It's baffling." Karrington shot him a nasty grin as he saw the realisation dawn on his face.

Jack moved forward too fast for the younger officer to get out of his way, crashing him back against the bank of lockers on the other side of the room. "You son of a bitch! You planned the whole thing!"

"Not as well as I could have done, but yeah." He set his mocking gaze to Jack's fuming brown one and chuckled. "I wonder if you'd be so riled up if it had been someone other than the woman you're screwing."

Jack couldn't control his anger any longer, his fist meeting Karrington's mocking jaw line without a trace of regret. It didn't take long for Karrington to recover, striking out with a punch to the stomach.

"Jack!"

Daniel's shout stopped Jack long enough for Karrington to hit him squarely in the face. Jack hauled his opponent back against the lockers and held him there.

"This is over, Karrington. You won't be at the SGC much longer, I can guarantee that." Releasing him roughly, Jack plucked the strap of his bag from the other side of the bench and strode straight past a stunned Daniel Jackson without an explanation.


	12. Resolutions

_Hey its been ages! I can't believe the amount of reviews I've had for this fic - never know it might hit 200! - totally don't deserve them for making you wait so long but thanks so much and I hope this chap was worth the wait! _

**Circles**

Chapter 12 - Resolutions

"Jack!"

"Leave me alone, Daniel." Jack strode quickly through the long corridors of the base, hoping Carter was in her lab so he could collect her and get the hell out of there.

"Jack, what just happened in there?" Daniel struggled to keep up with his teammate. Having finally had his cast removed earlier that day, he was forced to limp. Not that that would matter to Jack. He'd sensed something was bothering Jack before the rest of SG-1 had left to go off-world the previous day, but hadn't known enough about his temporary replacement to put the two together.

"Nothing you need to know about." Reaching the lifts, Jack hit the call button, feeling riled and a desperate need to see Carter; a particularly unprofessional need that he wouldn't have even entertained the thought of had the events of a few nights ago not happened.

"Sam's waiting for you topside." Daniel informed him, folding his arms across his chest as he glared at his equally stubborn friend.

"Thanks." Jack replied absently, thankful when Daniel didn't follow him into the elevator. He signed out distractedly, scanning the parking area for signs of his 2IC somewhat anxiously as memories of a few nights ago came back to him in a rush. Her stricken too-pale face, the cold wind blowing at her hair and unprotected body due to the loss of her coat. When he spotted her leaning back on his truck's hood, bundled up in a thick navy coloured jacket, he had to fight a strong urge to wrap his arms around her.

"Hey," She greeted him with a smile, her sharp eyes watching him disappear around the driver's side to unlock the car. It wasn't until they were sat in the relative warmth of his truck that Sam could see the angry red bruise on the right side of his face. "Jack, what happened?"

"Okay if we pick up a pizza and head back to mine?" He asked, pretending he hadn't heard her question. Right now he just wanted to spend time with her, recuperate from nearly loosing her through a deliberate action of Karrington's, that he hadn't even been wary of beforehand. Her expressive blue eyes gazed at him, gauging whether he was being deliberately evasive or if he was promising to tell her later.

"Sure."

* * *

"I'll never understand Teal'c's obsession with these movies." Jack announced for the fourth time, placing his empty beer bottle on coffee table. 

Sam smiled patiently back at him, reaching forward to pick up another slice of pizza. "I said I'd watch the Simpsons with you."

"And you'd love it, but I promised T I'd make you watch the Star Wars films at some point." His classic O'Neill smirk made her laugh, a skill he was ridiculously proud of when it came to Sam Carter.

"Oh so this is for my benefit?"

"Don't say I never do anything for you." He shot back, getting up and heading for the kitchen in search of another beer. Waiting until he returned, placing a second bottle on the table for his companion, and opening his own before he even sat down again, Sam decided to broach the topic he'd been so keen to avoid so far.

"Are you going to tell me how you got that bruise?"

Her sapphire eyes tracked him as he sighed, finally looking up to meet her gaze. "I lost it with Karrington, just had to wipe the smarmy grin from his face. The son-of-a-bitch set you up on that planet, knew full-well how the village would react to his sleeping with that historian's daughter."

"Jack," She placed a hand on his shoulder, partly out of concern for him and partly in an effort to quell the rising anger she could see on his face. "We have to be careful. He must have some sort of plan that involves the SGC if he's linked to NID."

"I'm not sure it's as big as that, it seemed like he was trying his best to get you out of the picture today."

"You mean out of the SGC?"

"Or at least off SG-1. Maybe he wants the position on SG-1 to be permanent, it would sure as hell work out well for the NID if he managed that. And you know what, that would be the perfect way to get their little project of stealing stuff back up and running."

Sam nodded, thinking over what he'd said as she leant forward a little to run gentle fingers over the nasty mark he'd be sporting on his cheek for the next few days. "Are you sure you don't want some ice on that?"

"It's just a bruise." He clasped her fingers on his cheek with his left hand, moving their entwined hands to rest between them on the sofa. He stared at them as he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand tenderly, before catching her gaze again with intense brown eyes. "I'm sorry about the other night."

Her eyes widened at his words, the threat of forgetting all that had happened between them to go back to the way things had been for the last few years causing dread to engulf her senses for a moment. "You are?"

His handsome face was sincere as his eyes dropped again to his hand holding hers. "I feel bad it happened like that. Seems like something I never imagined would actually happen and when it did I picked the wrong time and I'm sorry."

The rush of words escaping him were so honest and open that Sam gave in to the urge to close the distance between them and wrap her arms around his shoulders. As intelligent as she was when it came to science, feelings and relationship were her weakness. She'd never felt so much for one man in her entire life and it scared her, scared her so much that on some level she'd been almost glad of the rules forbidding their involvement.

Jack returned her embrace, wishing he'd never have to let go, when the realisation struck him. He pulled back, moving one hand over her blonde hair soothingly. "After all this is over, I'm going to resign. Maybe I'll even retire again, who knows?"

"You're going to quit the SGC?" She asked, the surprise evident in her voice. "Why?"

"It's for the good of the fish really, don't get up to Minnesota much these days, word is the fish are feeling neglected." He quipped with a half smile.

"Jack," The expression adorning her flawless face implored him to answer her seriously, wide blue eyes staring him down.

He moved his hand from her hair to cup her cheek, gently tracing the outline of her cheekbone with his thumb as he answered her. "I don't think I can be without you anymore."

"You can't quit because of me."

"I was supposed to retire seven years ago, Sam. I don't want to be involved in these political games anymore, I just want to drink beer and watch the hockey like normal people." It wasn't a spur of the moment decision by any means; he'd been entertaining the idea for a few months now, wondering if quitting the military would allow him some semblance of a normal life again. The additional bonus of escaping the Air Force regulations keeping he and his 2IC apart was also an important factor, but one he hadn't wanted her to know for fear of putting pressure on her.

He could tell by her silence that she wasn't convinced of his reasons, her eyes attempting to seek out some form of alternate truth from his face. Hoping to silence her thoughts - at least for a while – Jack pressed his lips to hers softly. It took her a second to respond, slightly surprised at his action, before she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders again and deepening the kiss. Finally coming up for air, Jack grinned at her and pressed an affectionate kiss to her forehead. "You think too much." He whispered huskily, folding his arms around her so her head rested against his chest.

Sam relaxed in his embrace, closing her eyes, content to enjoy him holding her close and listen to his steady heartbeat. As he stroked her hair absently she felt as though she would fall asleep, the days events finally catching up with her, when she suddenly registered the Star Wars theme playing in the background.

"Looks like I missed the ending." She told him softly.

"Ask T what happens, it'll make his day just talking about those movies." He set a kiss to her hair as his arms tightened around her. "Will you stay here tonight?"

Twisting herself round to face him, she rewarded him with the smile he'd fallen in love with before she moved to cover his mouth with hers.

* * *

A shrill ringing woke Jack a few hours later. Uncurling one arm from Sam's body, he reached out to silence his alarm clock, shortly before realising it wasn't that that was making the annoying sound. Finally grasping the silver cell from the nightstand, he flipped it open. "What?" 

There were a few beats of silence before the reply came. "Jack?"

As he tried to place the voice in his groggy mind, he felt Sam shift and reposition herself closer to him, her arms tightening their hold on him. "Daniel? You have any idea what time it is?"

"It's nearly midnight… which has also got me wondering why you're answering Sam's phone."


End file.
